


Acts of Heroism

by Annariel



Category: Primeval
Genre: F/M, Get Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-26
Updated: 2012-09-26
Packaged: 2017-11-15 02:37:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/522220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annariel/pseuds/Annariel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So what exactly did Connor do in the Cretaceous which made Abby drop her guard and admit her feelings for him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Acts of Heroism

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anyaheart (LJ)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=anyaheart+%28LJ%29).



> Thanks to fredbassett for beta-reading.

They made the trap by propping a large stone on three sticks, placed to act like a trigger and drop the stone if an animal took the bait. Connor had seen Ray Mears do it once. Abby had more experience trapping animals, but they didn't have planks of wood, wire mesh, nails or glue to hand. So it was the Ray Mears method.

They'd been in the Cretaceous three weeks at that point. The rations they'd brought with them were running low and they had to face the reality that they were going to have to catch and kill their dinner.

"I mean, it's not like either of us are vegetarian," Connor said, hovering anxiously next to the newly set up trap.

"No, I know." Abby was being very matter of fact about it, but Connor knew how much she loved animals. All his anxieties were focused on her.

"So, it's like, more honest, in a way, isn't it?" he asked hopefully.

Abby reached out and squeezed his hand. "Yes, it is. Come on! Let's leave it be and set the next one."

Connor trailed after her, away from the fruiting tree where they had set the trap. He wondered if he should do this himself and protect her from... but his thoughts stopped there. One thing Abby didn't need was coddling or protecting. He watched her spiky hair bouncing along with a swagger through the undergrowth. He knew her well-enough to know that the swagger was a front. Abby was forcing herself be strong, but he didn't mention it.

Connor had imagined many ways in which he might finally convince Abby that he was suitable boyfriend material. Some of these were out right fantasy, such as rescuing her from the Death Star. But others were more prosaic, given a value of prosaic that acknowledged that their life involved hungry dinosaurs on a regular basis. What he'd never quite figured out was the conversation afterwards where he explained why she totally couldn't have rescued herself and, in fact, needed him to leap in front of the Sith Lord/Dalek/Enraged Troodon/Delete as applicable. In his head those conversations never ended well. Even imaginary Abby was pretty scathing about "I acted without thinking," and "it just sort of happened."

Connor winced. Besides rescuing her from trapping dinner was hardly up there with saving her from certain death at the hands of the Goa'uld or Voldemort.

He was a little surprised, when they returned the next day, to find the trap had worked. The result was bloody and unpleasant but there was a small reptilian creature, squashed where the stone had fallen upon it.

"Some sort of ceratopsian I think." Connor squinted at the remains. "They weren't all as big as Triceratops and it's got the frill and the horn. I wish I had me database here."

"Not sure the database would really help us all that much without, you know, the internet and a power source," Abby mused.

"No, suppose not."

Abby levered up the stone and made a grimace at the mess. "Let's get this back to camp then."

Their `camp' was really just a flat piece of rock with a large enough tree next to it that they could sleep in the boughs. They'd stashed the heavy rucksacks in the tree so that they could move about more freely and they'd built a makeshift fireplace on the rock, surrounded by stones.

Abby was thin, he couldn't help noticing as she led the way back to their camp. It was hot and she'd taken off her jacket and hoody, leaving just a sleeveless top. Skin was stretched tight over her shoulder bones. Connor found himself worrying about whether she had been eating enough while he had been staying with Lester, or was ill, or over-worked, or all of the above. The current situation wasn't going to help with that.

"What are you staring at?" Abby asked, turning to look at him, on hand on her hip, the other holding the dead ceratopsian at her side.

Connor felt himself blush. No way was he telling Abby he'd been staring at her body even if it hadn't been exactly sexual. "I wasn't thinking anything that interesting."

"Go on! I'm curious, even if it was, I don't know, the latest release of the Linux operating system."

Connor laughed in spite of himself. "Nothing like that, honest. Just thinking about the last few weeks and all the stuff that happened. Thought we could use a holiday."

"But not like this, eh?"

"No, not really, still, could be worse. Alesha, in Physics had been talking about a group trip to Alton Towers. I get sick on rollercoasters."

Abby shook her head at him, turned and headed back to the camp. "Plus point for the Cretaceous, no rollercoasters!" she shouted over her shoulder.

"Give me a knife, I'll prep dinner," she said once they reached the camp.

They had three knives. The backpacks Danny had prepared were well-stocked for most eventualities so they found themselves with a multi-tool pocket knife, a combat knife, and a survival knife that could double as a saw. Connor handed Abby the pocket knife and watched as she skinned and gutted the carcass. He was glad she was doing it because he wouldn't have had the first clue.

"I'm not being much use, am I?" he said.

She shot a tight smile his way. "It was your trap. We wouldn't have anything to eat if you hadn't thought it up."

"Still..." he shrugged. "I don't want to be all me big hunter, you kitchen wench, if you see what I mean."

Abby laughed. "If I think there is any risk of you pulling macho bullshit I'll knock it out of you OK."

"OK! Cool!" Connor nodded and then his brain caught up with what she had actually said. "Hey!"

She smiled again and turned back to her task. "Anyway, you can do the cooking."

"Right! Cooking!" He grinned hopefully and rocked on his feet. 

Connor's favourite get-together-with-Abby scenario involved a heroic battle against a herd of raptors. In the aftermath, he would be found, exhausted and bleeding, sheltering behind a dilapidated Austin Mini. Abby would lean in to kiss him and he'd get an expression on his face a bit like Harrison Ford's after Leia first kissed him in Return of the Jedi.

"You saved all those people," she would say and the look on her face would be full of pride.

Sadly there were no Austin Mini's in the Cretaceous and, in spite of the increased opportunities for being menaced by raptors, Connor had more or less stopped dwelling on heroic scenarios. His days were filled with the stress of constant vigilance and, at night, he just collapsed into his tree branch and fell asleep without the time for fantasy.

Looking at Abby as she stood up and handed him the dead ceratopsian, he was forced to acknowledge that if anyone was likely to be doing any rescuing around here then it probably wasn't going to be him.

And cooking wasn't very heroic, definitely not getting-the-girl type stuff, but he was hungry. He offered up a silent prayer that he wouldn't burn them because that would be really bad, on a number of levels. King Alfred and the burnt cakes would have nothing on Abby deprived of her first proper meal in three weeks.

"Hey! Earth to Connor!" Abby waved a hand in front of his face, presumably aware there was an internal monologue going on.

He blinked at her, startled. "Sorry, you know me, me mind wandered."

"Do I want to know?"

"Not really, started with Austin Minis, ended with King Alfred."

Her smile was sad. "Sometimes I wish I was in your head. It sounds like a fun place."

They threaded the small creature on a stick and set it to roast over a fire with Connor turning them. 

The area was abundant with resources Connor pointed out to himself as the meat started to cook, it was simply a matter of learning to harvest them. That was the theory anyway. 

A loud bellow echoed in the evening air, causing them both to pause glancing about them. Of course the area was also abundant with predators but they were getting better at finding escape routes and places to hide. Again, in theory, at least. 

"Maybe we could tame a dinosaur. Get it to keep away the others." Connor couldn't help a little bit of excitement at the thought.

"Reptiles aren't really pets, Connor, at least not one's you can train."

"I bet Tarzan would have trained a dinosaur by now."

"Yeah, and built a three bedroom house with running water and a microwave up in the treetops." Abby sounded bitter.

"Sorry."

"Not your fault, Connor."

Connor sniffed as the ceratopsian cooked and the smell wafted towards him. Abby had leaned back against a tree, her eyes closed. She looked so weary that he wanted to reach out and hold her. Instead he turned the roast so it would cook evenly. The silence pressed upon him and he felt the need to say something.

"Reminds me of that bit in Lord of the Rings, where Gollum catches some rabbits and Sam cooks them? He asks for potatoes, you know. That always used to worry me because they didn't have potatoes in medieval times. At least not in the England they didn't, I guess they did in America but Lord of the Rings isn't exactly Aztec or Mayan, so that doesn't fit either. Not that Lord of the Rings is medieval either as such, but I still used to worry about the potatoes."

"Connor? Potatoes?"

"Sorry, just rambling, don't mind me. It's not even that profound. If I was Yoda I could be all `eat well, rest later, sign of true Jedi, that is'." 

"Connor?"

Connor looked up at Abby, "Yes?" His mind was already supplying the `Just shut up please'.

She shook her head as if changing her mind and smiled gently at him.

Connor winced. Really, of all the people to get trapped in the Cretaceous with, Abby had to pick him. "Hey! I know I babble, and mostly I don't say much of any use, and it would be better if I was sort of strong and silent and, you know, cool under pressure like a Sentinel or something. But, I don't know, at least I haven't burned dinner. Yet, anyway."

Abby's smile widened into a huge grin, and one hand clutched suddenly at her chest. "Oh Connor! Never change!" she said. Then she leaned forward and kissed him.

"What was that for?" he asked as she broke away. "Not that I'm objecting you understand, it's just a bit, you know, sudden."

She sighed. "Everything is just so different and difficult and I'm so glad that you are here and that you are the same as you always were."

Then she kissed him again, slowly and gently.

It turned out that he didn't need to be a hero. He just needed to be himself.


End file.
